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christie_sw_mo

Lemon tree ffrom seed

christie_sw_mo
12 years ago

I had just about given up on some Meyer Lemon seeds I planted in a big pot and left sitting on my kitchen counter about a month ago but I noticed a little green sprout just starting to poke above the potting soil this morning. Lemon trees are supposed to make good house plants and I thought I would give it a try after buying some Meyer Lemons at the grocery store awhile back.

After removing the seeds and letting them dry for a couple weeks, I read that you're not supposed to let them dry out so I wasn't sure these would sprout at all. I planted about 9 or 10 in the pot I think.

I don't like to spend much on houseplants. I love them - I just don't have very good luck keeping them alive. I have a couple avocado trees I grew from the pit also.

Comments (9)

  • NancyPlants
    12 years ago

    Thats exciting Christie!
    I never thought of trying to start citrus from seed. Maybe I'll try to do this. You said the seeds shouldnt dry out...does that mean you would take them right from the fruit and plant them immediately?

    This fall I got rid of all but one of my houseplants. The youngest was from my sisters funeral in 1999. The oldest was from when I had my son in 1987. They were no longer bringing me pleasant memories. They are now composting in the veggie gardens. I brought in about 30 superhot pepper plants to overwinter so the windows are still full.

    Do you move the avocado trees outside for the summer? Do they produce? I bet they are a lovely houseplant. How tall are they?

    Good luck with the Meyer Lemons :)

  • helenh
    12 years ago

    Christie it is fun to experiment and you have kids so that is good for them. I am also tired of some plants in the house. I have some aloe type things that I like but there is not a good place to put them. I am keeping a fig and hybiscus in the hall and also begonia and mother in law's tongue. I think it would look better to just have one or two. I am keeping them for various reasons. Nancy I can understand how you got sick of them, cleared out, and started a new plan.

  • gldno1
    12 years ago

    Good luck with it Christie.

    I don't do well with inside plants. I brought in my rosemary and it is already looking bad. I think I will take cuttings instead.

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Nancy I only wish I could get a houseplant to survive for years like that. I think you did your duty keeping them alive that long. I felt really guilty for asking for houseplants for Christmas one year and got a couple really nice ones from my mother but they were gone well before the next Christmas. Wasted money.
    I didn't move my avocados outside for the summer but I think you can. I seriously doubt if I could get fruit unless I bought a dwarf variety and had a sunroom to keep it in for the winter. Not sure even that would work here. I do think it's possible to get lemons from what I've read. I don't really care if mine fruit but I would like to have some flowers someday. They're fragrant.
    Nancy - I think it meant to plant the seeds right away after removing them from the lemons. Some lemons are seedless that you get at the grocery store. These said Meyer Lemon on the label and I got them at Price Cutter.

    I saved some seeds from a papaya too but haven't planted them. I think I'm just bored. lol My kids don't take much interest Helen. I wish they did.

    Glenda the plants I brought in look terrible already. My tropical milkweeds didn't have an aphid on them all summer but I checked them a few days ago in the basement and the stems were completely covered with them - hundreds! I took the plants outside and sprayed them really good. I don't know how those things could multiply so quickly.
    I'm pretty sure the lantanas I brought in are already dead but I'll keep them around I guess in case they're just dormant.

  • helenh
    12 years ago

    Christie your kids may not show interest but they know what you are doing and that you love plants and animals. It will surface some day. The Jackson Conspiracy tells me they are just like you about animals. I found out when I briefly worked at a greenhouse that some plants grow best in conditions that you would never want in your house. We had rain recently but we have had some very low humidity days and if you have a heater on it is like a desert in your house.

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    "The Jackson Conspiracy" lol Thanks for the chuckle Helen.
    I'll link the post about that in case anyone joined after it happened. Got to admit I love that dog. He's by far the heaviest of our three dogs, I think close to 40 pounds and of course he's the one that likes to be held. It sometimes knocks the breath out of me when he jumps in my lap.

    Be sure to scroll down a little and read about how Jackson was "found".

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Jackson Conspiracy

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have three more little sprouts this morning. I thought I might only have the one which is about two inches tall now. I read some more about Meyer Lemons and found that they are thought to be a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin or some kind of sour orange so I'm not sure what my seedlings will be, maybe a mix. It also depends on whether the Meyer Lemon was grown from a cutting or grafted onto something. The leaves on the bigger seedlings have little teeth along the edges which is a trait of lemon leaves I believe.

    Now all I need is a big sunroom to put them in. lol

  • NancyPlants
    12 years ago

    Congrats on your additional seedlings Christie! That is so exciting :) I just love when experiments work out.

    Helen, I overwinter begonias every year also. I bet the fig is lovely.

    Glenda, I have a large rosemary thats about 7 years old. DH finally brought it in last week. I had been covering it on cold nights. Each winter it looks rough but as soon as it goes out in the spring...it really takes off. I mist mine every day or two. That seems to help some. I've had good luck with cuttings during the summer but have never had success in the winter. I hope they do better for you.

    Oh, the Jackson Story! How sweet :) Now thats a girl in love with her dog. Did your husband ever find out?
    All the 3 dogs look well loved. Did the hosta survive?
    I had a barren spot in the grass where our golden retreiver Lacy likes to roll (she digs her nails in and rips up what little grass there is). Each spring I rake the area and plant grass seed with minimal results. This year I planted a silver edge squash in a nearby bed. I only had one seed and really really wanted to get a fruit to harvest. So, as it sprawled out onto the grass I decided not to redirect it. Lacy would sniff the vine and flowers in 'her' territory every day but she never flopped down on it and rolled. By the fall there was a nice stand of uncut grass around the vine. I was able to get just one large fruit (over a dozen small ones froze). As soon as I pulled up the frost hit vine, Lacy reclaimed her spot. She looked so happy, rolling and grass clumps flying..haha

    Please skip the last paragraph if you dont care to hear someone whine
    I've been sick for about a month now...really for months but worse for the last month. Leaves havent been mulched, tomato cages still stand, etc, etc. I finally saw a Dr friday and found I have a severe infection and have been fighting it for a long time. My immune system is not very effective due to other conditions so she said recovery will be slow. I cant wait to have energy again. Hopefully I can get to the gardening cleanup before it snows. (not to mention the pile of dishes) haha

    I love hearing all the stories you ladies share. Each one brightens my day.
    Thank you :)

  • christie_sw_mo
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'm sure nobody minds if you whine a little Nancy. Sounds like you have a perfect right to, after being sick for so long. I'm glad the Dr. figured out what's going on and that will hopefully get you on the road to recovery. When you're sick for a long time like that, you don't realize how bad you felt until you start feeling better again.

    I still haven't told my husband where Jackson actually came from. lol One of us will slip-up someday.
    I never moved my hostas and they're still alive. I should move them though. Nothing else is planted there, just the two hostas and they look sort of out of place all by themselves anyway.